Be it known to you that eleven hundred and ninety-seven years after theIncarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ, in the time of Innocent Pope of Rome, andPhilip King of France, and Richard King of England, there was in France a holyman named Fulk of Neuilly—which Neuilly is between Lagni-sur-Marne andParis—and he was a priest and held the cure of the village. And this saidFulk began to speak of God throughout the Isle-de-France, and the othercountries round about; and you must know that by him the Lord wrought manymiracles.
Be it known to you further, that the fame of this holy man so spread, that itreached the Pope of Rome, Innocent*; and the Pope sent to France, and orderedthe right worthy man to preach the cross (the Crusade) by his authority. Andafterwards the Pope sent a cardinal of his, Master Peter of Capua, who himselfhad taken the cross, to proclaim the Indulgence of which I now tell you, viz.,that all who should take the cross and serve in the host for one year, would bedelivered from all the sins they had committed, and acknowledged in confession.And because this indulgence was so great, the hearts of men were much moved,and many took the cross for the greatness of the pardon.
[Note: Innocent III, elected Pope on the 8th January 1198, at the early age ofthirty seven, Innocent III was one of the leading spirits of his time—inevery sense a strong man and great Pope. From the beginning of his pontificatehe turned his thoughts and policy to the recovery of Jerusalem.]
The other year after that right worthy man Fulk had so spoken of God, there washeld a tourney in Champagne, at a castle called Ecri, and by God’s graceit so happened that Thibaut, Count of Champagne and Brie, took the cross, andthe Count Louis of Blois and Chartres likewise; and this was at the beginningof Advent (28th November 1199). Now you must know that this Count Thibaut wasbut a young man, and not more than twenty-two years of age, and the Count Louisnot more than twenty-seven. These two counts were nephews and cousins-german tothe King of France, and, on the other part, nephews to the King of England.
With these two counts there took the cross two very high and puissant barons ofFrance, Simon of Montfort*, and Renaud of Montmirail. Great was the famethereof throughout the land when these two high and puissant men took thecross.
[Note: Simon de Montfort—the same one who later crushed the Albigensiansand the father of the “English” Simon de Montfort who defeated theroyal army at Lewes and was killed at Evesham in 1265].
In the land of Count Thibaut of Champagne took the cross Garnier, Bishop ofTroyes, Count Walter of Brienne, Geoffry of Joinville*, who was seneschal ofthe land, Robert his brother, Walter of Vignory, Walter of Montbéliard, Eustaceof Conflans, Guy of Plessis his brother, Henry of Arzilliéres, Oger ofSaint-Chéron, Villain of Neuilly, Geoffry of Villhardouin, Marshal ofChampagne, Geoffry his nephew, William of Nully, Walter of Fuligny, Everard ofMontigny, Manasses of l’Isle, Macaire of Sainte-Menehould, Miles theBrabant, Guy of Chappes, Clerembaud his nephew, Renaud of Dampierre, JohnFoisnous, and many other right worthy men whom this book does not here mentionby name.
[Note: Geoffry de Joinville—the father of the chronicler Joinville.]
With Count Louis took the cross Gervais of Châtel, Hervée his son, John ofVirsin, Oliver of Rochefort